Famed Carlton live music venue the John Curtin Hotel is set to hit the market.

CBRE’s Alex Brierley, Nathan Mufale, David Minty and Mathew George have been appointed to market the property via an International Expressions of Interest campaign closing at the end of March.

Located at 27-31 Lygon Street, opposite Trades Hall, the Curtin Hotel has long been a favourite watering hole for students, unionists and most-notably Labor’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.

Built in 1860 and known as the Lygon Hotel until 1971, the building has been refurbished several times and is now also a popular live music venue.

A stone’s throw from the Melbourne CBD, the triple-fronted, 334sqm corner landholding features a combined 53 metres of street frontage.

The site is earmarked for a mixed-use or residential development, with a height precedent of nine levels set on surrounding projects.

It will be offered to the market with a short-term lease to the current operator until November 2022, with no further options, and is expected to generate offers around $6 million.

“While we are anticipating strong interest from property aggregators and developers, we are equally confident of active participation from the hotel sector,” said Mr George, Director of CBRE Hotels.

“The tightly-held nature of the asset class and clear lack of pub and hotel freeholds ever hitting the market ensures demand stays high.

“Owner operators have been starved for choice in the Melbourne market for the past 10 years, and a property like the John Curtin – with its pedigree and short-term tenure – will attract genuine interest from owner operators looking to utilise and expand on the hotel’s license.”

To request a copy of the Information Memorandum please contact one of the marketing agents via the contact details below.